Lady & the Hulk
by RainLily13
Summary: Prompt fill on tumblr: Fairy Tale & Out Cold. Post-CA:TWS & AOS.


_Prompt fill I did for sergris on tumblr and thought I'd share here._

_The prompts were: # 61: Fairy Tale & #84: Out Cold._

_Now, I must admit my knowledge of Sif extends only to the first Thor movie, which I haven't watched in a year? I haven't watched the second movie, and though I know she makes an appearance in Agents of Shield, I've yet to start that series either. Still, here it goes. So if she's completely out of character then that's why and I'm so sorry, haha._

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_**Disclaimer: **_Obviously, Marvel isn't mine.

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—Lady & the Hulk—

_Set after CA: TWS & Sif's appearance in AOS_

So engrossed Bruce was with his experiment that it took him a couple minutes before he realized he had company sitting in the stool just a couple feet away from him.

His head jerked up, eyes blinking quickly. "Oh, I, hello?" he said with a crooked smile, sitting up and removing his glasses. As he fiddled with the spectacles, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to place her familiar face, shooting up mere moments later when he finally remembered. "Uh, Lady Sif, isn't it? You're a friend of Thor's?" he asked, setting his glasses down on the table in front of him.

He'd been called out earlier that day to take care of the usual bad guy of the week with a couple of the others. He wasn't usually needed, but they were spread thin what with what happened with Hydra. Steve was on the other side of the country on business of his own, Natasha was on another continent, and Clint and Tony were the only ones left with him and so they figured a heavy hitter like the other guy would be useful just in case.

Just as the fighting started, however, Thor had arrived, having just come from Asgard. Bruce only had a split second to notice that the god hadn't come alone before he was giving into the anger and turning green.

Now, it was late into the afternoon and here he was in the lab in front of the experiment he was working on before being called away, sitting next to a rather beautiful woman with an equally intense stare, and he had no idea why.

Sif offered him a close-lipped smile and a nod. "Yes, hello. You are Bruce Banner, correct?" she asked pleasantly and Bruce nodded. "Thor has told much about you."

Bruce found himself giving her an embarrassed smile in return. "Hopefully nothing bad," he murmured. Rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, he turned to face the Asgardian goddess. "It's nice to meet you," he said, offering a hand.

Sif blinked at it curiously, before recognition seemed to dawn in her eyes and she took his hand and shook it. "And I, you," she murmured. "Thor had told me you were a fine warrior, and I am glad to have seen it with my own eyes. You fought well today, and with much ferocity."

"I, uh…" Bruce was dumbfounded, really, and what was worse was he could feel his cheeks heating up. "Thank you," he eventually said, shrugging. "Though, most of the credit goes to the other guy. I'm just the brains."

Sif gave a thoughtful nodded. "And he is the brawn," she mused. "But you are a part of each other. Though you fought with rage, it was a controlled one—controlled by you, no?"

"Yeah…" Bruce murmured, having never really thought of it like it like that. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Giving him another smile, Sif shifted closer. "Would you like to share dinner together, tonight?" she asked suddenly, leaning forward. "That is the custom, is it not it? A meal?"

It took a moment of blatant staring before Bruce realized she was asking _him _out. And now he was wondering if they _didn't _stop fighting just yet; that he was out cold and this was just a dream. "You mean a date?"

Sif smiled widely, this time with teeth, and she raised a wry eyebrow. "Indeed."

"With, uh, with me?"

Her lips were now curling into a wicked smirk that had Bruce swallowing thickly. "Yes."

"Oh," Bruce breathed out, and before he knew it he was saying, "Okay, tonight then."

The goddess' smirk widened as she slipped off the stool and stood with grace. "Tonight," she repeated and there she went, striding out the lab with a satisfied bounce to her step.

He was so stunned that he didn't even realize Tony was there, and had been for the past few minutes. And, oh God, he was _grinning_, which meant he'd seen the whole thing.

Tony swaggered over and clapped a hand against his back, sending Bruce lurching forward. "Well look at that," he was laughing, "Seems like you've found the beauty to your beast. Careful though, one wrong move and she might skin you alive herself. And she just might be able to pull it off, too."

Bruce groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Not funny, Tony."

o.O.o_  
_

_Sometime later…_

When Bruce woke up, it was to an aching _everything _and a soft, calloused hand on his cheek.

Cracking an eye open he thought he died and gone to heaven.

A couple seconds later he realized he was close, but no cigar.

Sif was leaning over him, her forehead creased as she frowned down at him in concern. Her ebony hair was a windswept mess, her face was smudged, and she was bleeding from a small cut on her cheek, but otherwise she looked to be completely fine. "Bruce?" he more read her lips saying than heard them. Everything more or less sounded dim.

"What happened?" he groaned, rubbing at his eyes as he pushed himself up. The smoke was making them sting. "I feel like I was hit by a train."

Sif blinked down at him. "You were hit by a train," she told him bluntly, her expression serious. "Not a whole one, just with a few passenger cars."

Bruce's hand slid off his face. "Oh." That would explain it, then. Shaking his head, he reached over to cup her face, wiping the blood from her cheek with his thumb. "Are you alright?"

Sif smiled brilliantly. "I am not the one on the ground still half-unconscious," she teased, and Bruce laughed softly under his breath.

Suddenly, Sif went still and the next thing Bruce knew he was splayed back against the ground, Sif pressed firmly against him as she threw her shield over her back.

Wind rushed against them and seconds later he heard a loud crash. When Sif eventually pushed away moments later, Bruce saw it was a car that had just sailed over and nearly clipped them if not for Sif.

When he turned to look at his girlfriend, she was looking out into the chaos, her eyes narrowed fiercely as she assessed the perimeter but with a small, exhilarated smile still on face. When she turned back to him, her smile only widened. "Are you ready to continue fighting, or do you need another moment to gather your bearings?"

Bruce exhaled deeply, rolling his shoulders. "Ah, a moment," he murmured, wincing.

Sif nodded and leaned over to press a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. "Rest, then. I will protect you," she told him when she pulled away, giving his bare chest a couple of sound pats before she climbed to her feet.

Wryly, Bruce murmured his thanks and watched her go with small grin.

o.O.o

_This really was fun to write, so you know, I hope I didn't butcher either of their characters too horribly. Feel free to hit me up with a prompt, be it number one like this one, or just whatever. Hope you all enjoyed it!_

_RainLily^^_


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